Heroic Traits
Heroic Traits Details This section offers advice as you determine details about your character, including his or her name, age, appearance, and personality. Start with some idea about your character’s background and personality, and use that idea to develop the details that bring your character to life. Name Invent or choose a name that fits your character’s species and class. Chapter 2: Species contains some examples of alien names. A name is a great way for you to start thinking about your character’s background. For instance, a Rodian scout might be named after a great Rodian hunter of the past, and the Rodian may be striving to live up to that heritage. Alternatively, the name could be that of an infamous traitor, and the hero could be bent on proving that she’s not like her namesake. A name can also tell a lot about a character and help establish an image in your mind and the minds of the other players. It doesn’t have to be descriptive, but you want it to fit the type of character you’re going to play. Use the sample names to help you make up a name that has the appropriate Star Wars feel. Age Your character’s age is pretty much up to you (subject to the Gamemaster’s approval). A character reaches 1st level in a heroic class at the point when he or she steps out of mundane life and into the drama of the story, either by choice or through circumstances beyond the character’s control. That could be as a young adult for a Padawan learner, as a 20-year-old adult (such as in the case of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope), or as an even older character depending on your character concept. Table 7-1: Age by Species gives age ranges for the various species presented in Chapter 2: Species. As your hero ages, his or her physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) decrease and his or her mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) increase, as shown in Table 7-2: Aging Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way. First, generate your ability scores as defined in Chapter 1. Then, once your starting age is determined, apply the modifiers shown on Table 7-2: Aging Effects. Note that the methods described for determining ability scores yield the scores of an adult character. For example, when a character reaches middle age, her Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores each drop by 1 point, while her Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores each increase by 1 again. So far she has lost a total of 3 points for her Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity scores and gained a total of 2 points to her Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma scores due to aging. On the other hand, a child would start with a total penalty of -4 to Strength and Constitution and a -2 penalty to all other abilities (adjustments are cumulative for both the child and young adult categories). As he advances to young adulthood, these penalties would be reduced to -1 for each ability score. He would thus “gain” 3 points to both his Strength and Constitution and 1 point to each of his other ability scores. When he later becomes an adult, he would gain 1 point to each of his ability scores. Jedi live longer than the average member of their species. While a typical Human lives well into his or her 80s, a Human Jedi might live well into his or her 100s. The upper limit for a character powerful in the Force can be twice as much or more than a typical member of a species. Appearance Decide what your character looks like using the descriptions of the various species in Chapter 2: Species as a starting point. Characters with high Charisma scores tend to be better looking than those with low Charisma scores, though a character with high Charisma could have strange looks, giving him or her a sort of exotic beauty. You can use your hero’s looks to tell something about his personality and background. For example: -Deel Surool, the Twi’lek scoundrel, always has a smirk on his lips, no matter what situation he finds himself in. He treats life as a joke where only he knows the punch line. He wears the latest fashions and comes off as being mildly superior to everyone around him. -Vor’en Kurn, the Human soldier, has a rough, dark look that speaks of the life he has led. His mercenary nature shows through in the way he moves, the way he wears his armor, and the way his twin blasters hang at his sides. His eyes are cold, dead, uncaring. You know he means business and that he’s dangerous just by looking at him. -Sia-Lan Wezz, the Human Jedi, appears confident and in control. She wears her Jedi robes and lightsaber proudly, and her fresh, young face glows with enthusiasm and hope. You know you can trust her, and you know she takes her role very seriously. Perhaps even a bit too seriously. Height and Weight Table 7-3: Height and Weight presents average heights and weights for the different species presented in Chapter 2: Species. Your character may be of average height and weight, or you can make your character’s abilities might say about her height and weight. If she is weak but agile, she may be thin. If she is strong and tough, she may be tall or just heavy. Personality Decide how your character acts, what she likes, what she wants out of life, what scares her, and what makes her angry. Your character’s species is a good place to start when thinking about personality, but it’s a bad place to stop. Make your Wookiee (or whatever) different from every other Wookiee. Personality is a summary of how your character usually acts. Make sure it’s interesting and fun for you to play. Give your character good points and bad points. Think about his code of ethics. Will you character do anything for the right price, or is there a line he just won’t cross? Is your character cheerful or dour, optimistic or pessimistic, honorable or dishonorable? These are just some of the factors that could go into your character’s personality. A handy trick for making an interesting personality for your character is including some sort of conflict in his nature. For example, Deel the scoundrel is generally self-centered, but he looks out for his close friends. He may be tempted to help them, even if it goes against his best interests, so long as he can justify doing so. Your character’s personality can change over time. Just because you’ve written some personality notes on your character sheet doesn’t mean you can’t let your character grow and develop the way real people do. Background Decide what your character’s life has been like up until now. Here are a few questions to get you thinking: How did she decide to become a hero? How did she acquire her class? A soldier, for example, might have been in a planetary militia, she may come from a family of soldiers, she may have been trained in a martial school, or she may be a self-taught mercenary. Where did she get her starting equipment? Did she assemble it piece by piece over time? Was it a parting gift from a parent or mentor? Do any items have special significance to her? What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to her? What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her? Does she stay in contact with her family? What do they think of her? Only your GM needs to know all the details of your background. You can tell the other players as much or as little as you see fit. You can get as complex as you like, or keep your character’s background simple. Has she traveled around the galaxy a lot? What’s her home planet like? What does she think of the Republic (or Rebellion, or Empire, or whatever)? Does she know any of the other players’ characters from before the campaign started? If not, what’s her connection to the rest of the team? Goals Your character might have a number of objectives that he or she hopes to accomplish. These are the things that motivate your character. Does he seek wealth or love? Revenge or power? That’s up to you and your GM. Goals can be immediate or long-term. They can also change during play, and new goals can be added all the time/ Think of goals as what’s motivating your character right now, though some long-term goals might fade to the background until circumstances warrant.